Chris Gotterup What's In The Bag 2025

American Chris Gotterup held his nerve to hold off the challenge of Rory McIlroy and claim the Scottish Open and a coveted place in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Many would have expected Gotterup to fold with the Northern Irishman breathing down his neck, especially after dropping a shot at the opening hole, but not a bit of it. 

His only previous success came at last year’s Myrtle Beach Classic but this was a different level against a field that included most of the sport’s leading players.

McIlroy, who closed with a 68, hit several wayward drives and produced a couple of incredible par saves but he had a frustrating day on the greens. Nonetheless he will be happy that is game is in good shape as he heads to the year’s final major.

Gotterup, aged 25, finished with a round of 66 that included six birdies and he ended the week on 265, 15 under par, two shots ahead of McIlroy and England’s Marco Penge. There were also encouraging performances from Nicolai Hojgaard and Matthew Fitzpatrick, who finished on 12 under par. Justin Rose was next on 11 under after a magnificent closing round of 63 in tricky conditions.

Unsurprisingly, Gotterup was thrilled with his performance. He putted superbly during the final round, holing a succession of crucial putts to keep McIlroy at arm’s length.

He said: "I feel amazing. It’s just so cool. I played well all week and knew today was going to be tough but I hung in there like a champion. I felt comfortable all day and knew I was playing well. This is why I play and why I practice. It was nice to beat Rory. It is so much hard work and so much uo and down in this game. I had problems last year with my hand but my form has been good this year. Being a two-time champ sounds good. I now know I can beat the best and I am looking forward to the rest of the season."

Who is Chris Gotterup?

Gotterup was born in Easton, Maryland on July 20, 1999.

He played college golf at Rutgers University from 2017 to 2021. In 2019 he won the Metropolitan Amateur and New Jersey State Open and was given the Metropolitan Golf Association Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award. He transferred to Oklahoma University for 2021-22, where he won the Haskins Award and Jack Nicklaus Award as the top college golfer.

He turned professional in 2022 after the NCAA championship. He played events on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour in 2022, including a tied fourth at the John Deere Classic. He finished tied third at the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School to earn his 2023 Korn Ferry Tour card. He had three top-10 finishes on the tour in 2023 and earned his 2024 PGA Tour card by finishing 23rd on the points list.

On May 12, 2024, he won the Myrtle Beach Classic for his first PGA Tour victory.

This was his 62nd start on the PGA Tour and his second win, making 36 cuts and earning just over $4m in prize money. Apart from his victories he has had two top fives and three top 10s. His win in Scotland takes him to 39th in the FedEx Cup standings, up from 88th place.

Chris Gotterup - WITB

Driver: PING G440 LST (9 Degrees)

5-Wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (18 Degrees)

Utility iron: TaylorMade RSi TP UDI (1)

Irons: Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB (4-9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46, 52), TaylorMade MG Proto (56, 60)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Tour

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset

Chris Gotterup - Stats on Tour

Driving Distance - 316.16 Yards

Driving Accuracy - 53.44%

Greens in Regulation - 71.23%

Sand Saves - 64.00%

Putts Per Round - 29.21

Scoring Average - 69.43

Chris Gotterup - Last 10 Results

Genesis Scottish Open - 1st

John Deere Classic - T21st

Rocket Classic - T26th

US Open - T23rd

RBC Canadian Open - CUT

Charles Schwab Challenge - T28th

Myrtle Beach Classic - T13th

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson - T15th

Corales Puntacana Championship - T18th

Valero Texas Open - CUT